vijayawada l sunday l september 22, 2024 l `12.00 l PAGES 24 l late city EDITION Vote day peaceful in Sri Lanka, turnout estimated to be 75% Anura Kumara Dissanayake Eight-hour nationwide curfew imposed The voter turnout is estimated to be around 75%, an election official said in the evening. Polling concluded with no violence or security breaches. But, the police imposed a curfew from 10 pm on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday as a precautionary measure to prevent any untoward incidents during the counting. The people were urged to remain indoors | P9 A largely peaceful voting concluded at 4 pm on Saturday in the island nation’s first presidential poll since its worst economic meltdown in 2022 Dissanayake takes early lead ■ ■ Early results on Saturday night showed Marxist-leaning National People’s Power party’s Anura Kumara Dissanayake leading. Postal ballots were initially counted, which put him ahead of the rest Dissanayake has pledged to renegotiate the IMF’s economic rescue package, which has been unpopular for its austerity measures 38 the number of candidates who contested in the election CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI India, US closer than ever: Biden Atishi takes oath as Delhi CM, thanks political guru Kejriwal An u p v e r m a @ New Delhi Atishi on Saturday took oath as the third woman chief minister of Delhi after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dikshit. At 43, she became the youngest CM of Delhi and is the second woman CM after Mamata Banarjee in India at present. Along with her, five cabinet ministers were sworn in — Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Imran Hussain, and Mukesh Ahlawat. After taking oath, Atishi took AAP supremo and her predecessor Arvind Kejriwal’s blessings by touching his feet at Raj Niwas. In her first press conference after the ceremony, she profusely thanked him. “I thank my elder brother and political guru Arvind Kejriwal for entrusting me with the responsibility of looking after the people of Delhi. He is the one who shaped the future of millions of children, provided free bus travel to women, gave free electricity to the people, free medical treatment so that people do not have to mortgage their house or land for any of their family members,” she said. The new CM said her only job till the assembly poll would be to complete the work that has been stopped due to the conspiracies of the BJP and the Lt Governor. US President hosts PM Modi at his private residence in Delaware ahead of Quad meet y eshi Se l i @ New Delhi Former Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik and TNIE Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla in conversation on the first day of the Odisha Literary Festival, in Bhubaneswar on Saturday | DEBADATTA MALLICK Naveen non-committal on ‘one nation, one poll’ E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Bhubaneswar Femininity “Divinity without the feminine form is incomplete in Hinduism. One cannot have Jagannath temple without the presence of Devi Subhadra and other goddesses,” mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik said at the fest Former chief minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Saturday adopted a non-committal approach on ‘one nation, one poll’ proposal of the Centre and said details will have to be studied before taking a stand on it. In an interaction with editorial director of The New Indian Express Prabhu Chawla at the 12th edition of the Odisha Literary Festival (OLF) organised by this newspaper, Naveen said the party will wait for the details before taking a stand. “Let the details come forth, we will study and take a stand,” he said. Asked how he rates the BJP government in the state and the Centre on their performance on completion of their first 100 days in office, the BJD boss quipped: “It is too early to start counting.” “Elections to several states will be held in the near future. Let us wait for the results,” he added. The BJD chief also lashed out at the BJP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. “We can all see how the law and order situation in the state has declined with the incident of Governor’s son at Puri. Recently, an Army Major and his fiancée were harassed in a violent manner at a major police station in the capital city This is not a good record,” . he added. Chawla thanked the former CM for supporting the OLF for the last 13 years since it was launched. Celebrated Koshali poet and Padma Shri awardee Haladhar Nag inaugurated the OLF and said literature guides people on the path of truth, and true poets are Yugajanmas (born in ages) who take society on the right path. “There may be different castes, but every human being is one,” Nag said. Govt taking views of seers to uphold Tirumala sanctity: CM E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has said the State government is holding consultations with the Jeeyangars, Kanchi Pontiffs and Sanatana Dharma Pandits on how to uphold the sanctity of Tirumala temple. A decision will be taken soon on measures need to be implemented to better safeguard the temple sanctity. Quality test of Prasadam and ‘Samprokshana’ (cleansing operation) will soon be taken up in all the temples in the State, he said. In an informal interaction with mediapersons at the TDP headquarters in Mangalagiri on Saturday the Chief Minister , asserted that his government accords highest respect to the sanctity of temples and the sen- Oly: Open team on cusp of glory E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chennai THE Indian Open team moved within whispering distance of winning gold for the first time at the chess Olympiad. On Saturday, they beat US, top-seeds coming into the event, 2.5-1.5 to maintain their sole lead at the top of the standings with one round to go. As long as they have a normal final round, they will win gold. Both D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi won to put them on the cusp of history The . women’s team put themselves back in contention to have a real shot at winning gold after beating China 2.5-1.5. R Vaishali was under pressure to draw her P11 game which she did. ‘Laddu purity restored’ Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) on its official handle of social media platform X, posted that the sanctity of Srivari Laddu Prasadam has been restored. Posting the images of test results of the samples of ghee from old and new suppliers, the TTD said, “The divinity and purity of Srivari Laddu is unblemished now.” timents of devotees. Seeking to know how is it possible to get a kg of cow ghee at `320, Naidu asked why reverse tendering process was followed in the ghee procurement for the Tirumala temple Prasadam. “One should be very careful while taking any kind of decisions with regard to the world famous pilgrim centre of Tirumala, and of Lord Venkateswara,” Naidu said. Not only they committed the crime but also shamelessly claiming it to be diversion politics, Naidu said, taking a dig at the remarks of former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the laddu issue. Soon after assuming charge as the Chief Minister, he directed the TTD Executive Officer to cleanse the Seven Hills of Tirumala. The EO has taken several measures to improve the quality of laddu, and blacklisted several errant companies that were supplying substandard ghee, he revealed. Instead of replying to the report given by the National Dairy Development Board on the substandard ghee used in making the Tirumala Prasadam, YSRC leaders are simply trying to refute it, Naidu said, and asked what should such P4 people be called. express read Govt to pay aid to flood-hit on Sept 25 Vijayawada: Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu has said financial aid will be extended to the flood affected families in the State on September 25. The enumeration of flood affected people has been completed | P4 foreign secretary Vikram Misri and India’s Ambassador to the PRIME Minister Narendra US Vinay Mohan Kwatra. Modi, who arrived in the US on The US team included SecreSaturday for a three-day visit, tary of State Antony Blinken, met US President Joe Biden at Assistant to the President for his residence in Wilmington, National Security Affairs T H Delaware. Biden welcomed Jake Sullivan, and US AmbasModi with a warm hug and sador to India Eric Garcetti. held the Indian PM’s hand as Modi has a packed schedule he led him into the house. in the US, with the first day While the US side termed the dedicated to meetings with Bimeeting ‘private’, sources said den and other Quad leaders. the two leaders discussed the On Sunday, Modi will travel ways to strengthen the to New York to attend bilateral ties and also an Indian community shared their views on event at Long Island. some of the important He will also hold an inglobal issues including teraction with the the Russia-Ukraine CEOs of leading USconflict. “Discussions based companies workfocused on ways to furing on new technoloUkraine ther deepen the Indiagies such as artificial on table US bilateral partnerintelligence, quantum ship in areas of mutual computing, and US National interest. Leaders ex- Security Adviser semiconductors. changed views on gloOn Monday, the PM Jake Sullivan bal and regional is- said the Ukraine is scheduled to attend sues, including the war and Modi’s the the Summit of the Indo-Pacific region Future at the United recent visit to and beyond,” MEA Nations General AsKyiv would spokesperson Randhir sembly in New York. figure Jaiswal said. Earlier in the day af, prominently in The meeting lasted ter landing in Philathe bilateral about an hour. delphia, Modi said his meeting “The United States’ meeting with Biden, partnership with India is Australian PM Anthony Albastronger, closer, and more dy- nese, and Japanese premier Funamic than any time in history mio Kishida at the Quad Sum. Prime Minister Modi, each mit would contribute to the time we sit down, I’m struck by betterment of the world. “I am our ability to find new areas of sure the discussions will concooperation. Today was no dif- tribute in making our planet ferent,” Biden wrote on X. better and address global chalModi and Biden will have for- lenges,” he said. mal bilateral talks on the sideThe four-member Quad, or lines of the Quad summit. Ac- the Quadrilateral Security Diacording to sources, some key logue, advocates upholding a pacts are likely to be signed. free, open, and inclusive IndoThe PM was accompanied by Pacific. Beijing sees it as an foreign minister S Jaishankar, anti-China grouping. Couple held for ‘honour killing’ in Nellore dist Nellore: A couple was arrested at Padmanabhasatram village in the district on Saturday for allegedly killing their daughter Tirumuru Sravani (24) after she expressed her desire to live with a man from another caste four days ago I P4 Rajnath’s helicopter runs out of fuel in Jharkhand Ranchi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh travelled to UP from Jharkhand’s Garhwa by road as his helicopter could not be refuelled at Banshidhar Nagar where he addressed a rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi being received by US President Joe Biden at the latter’s residence for a meeting, in Wilmington, Delaware, US, on Saturday | PTI WITH THIS ISSUE The Partition of Pakistan PLUS 12 PAGES JSP MLA ‘assaults’ med college Prof E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Kakinada/Vijayawada In a shocking incident, Jana Sena Party MLA Pantham Nanaji, along with his supporters, allegedly assaulted Prof Uma Maheswara Rao, Vice-Chairman (Sports) of Rangaraya Medical College, on Saturday evening. The Kakinada Rural MLA had sought permission to use the medical college ground for a volleyball match. The necessary approval for it is still pending. Upon receiving a complaint from his followers pertaining to the delay, Nanaji ‘forcibly’ entered the college ground and ‘abused’ Prof Rao. The MLA allegedly assaulted Prof Rao by grabbing his mask, and his followers also joined him. Condemning the incident, the Rangaraya Medical College management lodged a complaint with the district SP against Nanaji and others. However, the police are yet to register a case. In the complaint, Dr Vishnuvardhan, Principal and Additional Director of Rangaraya Medical College, said Prof Rao, Head of Department of Forensic Medicine, was verbally abused by the MLA, and physically attacked by his supporters. The incident took place when Prof Rao tried to stop betting activities associated with volleyball and badminton matches, involving outsiders P4 on the college ground. Heavy rain likely in coastal Ahmedabad? Selected region name not sent to IOC districts for next two days olympic 2036 bid In d r a nee l D a s @ Chennai IT is almost close to one year since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India would be bidding for the 2036 Olympics, but the name of the host city is yet to be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Since last October, when the announcement was made during the IOC Session in Mumbai, there have been multiple reports that Ahmedabad would be one of the host cities. The IOC, however, is yet to receive any confirmation from the IOA. “The IOC has not been informed by the IOA of any selected region,” the IOC said in an email to this daily Interestingly coun. , tries like Indonesia and Turkey , nations considered as serious bidders for the 2036 Games, have selected the hosts/region. Though the IOC doesn’t reveal the number of interested parties or bidding process, its president Thomas Bach had reaffirmed that it was in double digits. However, the infighting in the IOA too seems to be a sour point. It is understood that even during the Paris Olympics, where some of potential hosts’ top officials met the IOC, there were apparently no meetings between the IOA and other stakeholders with the Future Hosts Commission. What needs to be more troubling is that the IOA is yet to formally announce a bid committee, which will deal with the IOC. Even for the 2030 Youth Olympics IOA would need to open dialogues with the IOC. In reply to this newspaper’s query whether the present unsavoury stand-off between the IOA president and the EC would affect the bidding process the IOC said: “IOC is happy to see interest in hosting from India, with its huge passion for sport and youthful population. To move forward, any project from India would need the official support of the National Olympic Committee (NOC).” The IOC has said that there are a number of “Interested Parties, including India, taking part in a non-committal Continuous Dialogue with the IOC.” This, according to the IOC, helps the potential host to “explore and improve its Olympic project, without linking it to any specific Games edition or year”. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada IMD has forecast heavy rain in coastal districts for the next two days and thereafter in Rayalaseema for another two days. Under the influence of two upper air cyclonic circulations, a low-pressure area is likely to form over the northwest and adjoining westcentral Bay of Bengal around September 23. The State is likely to experience widespread rain from Monday under its influence, said the Met Department. According to the forecast, heavy rain, and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over North and South Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Sunday . Strong surface winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph are likely at isolated places for the same period. On Monday, heavy rain is likely to continue in the coastal regions, while on Tuesday and Wednesday, heavy rain and thunderstorms are predicted at isolated places in Rayalaseema. Strong surface winds with a speed of 30-40 kmph are likely at isolated P4 places across the State.
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